New Zealand coach Nathan Brown has conceded travelling opponents may not be open to isolating for a week ahead of Warriors home games across the ditch.

Brown's side are currently scheduled to host their first game in Auckland since the end of the 2019 season in Round 15 this year, hosting the Panthers on June 18 in what has been a highly-anticipated return home for the Warriors.

However, the New Zealand government's latest reopening plan has tossed up mixed news for the Kiwi club.

Warriors players returning home won't be required to undergo hotel quarantine, with the government now permitting returning locals from Australia to self-isolate at home instead.

Mandatory self-isolation has been flagged for international arrivals however, placing doubt over whether touring clubs will be open to undergoing strict isolation prior to matches abroad.

jazz tevaga
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 18: Jazz Tevaga of the Warriors and Marcelo Montoya of the Warriors celebrate victory with fans during the round six NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the New Zealand Warriors at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, on April 18, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

"I'm not sure that other sides will want to isolate, to be honest with you," Brown said, via The Canberra Times. 

"That'd be something the Penrith Panthers or the Brisbane Broncos, whoever the teams may be, whether isolating for a week is what they would want to do, to be fair.

"As all this news has just come out, we'd only be speculating on what we're saying at the moment.

"The news we've got is obviously great for our club and great for the people of New Zealand and Australia who want to get out there (to New Zealand).

"But I'm certainly not sure that too many clubs would want to do that (isolation) at this stage."

The Warriors are currently scheduled to play a total of five matches at Mt Smart Stadium this year, including clashes with the Tigers (Round 16), Storm (Round 20), Bulldogs (Round 22) and Titans (Round 25).

The NZ Government and the NRL are set to continue talks over any flexibility that can allow the fixture to go ahead as planned, however the loss of some games won't take away the excitement of the Warriors' long-awaited first match at home.

"If it does work out that we get (five home) games, great," Brown added.

New Zealand Warriors Media Opportunity
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - DECEMBER 04: Warriors Head Coach Nathan Brown during a New Zealand Warriors NRL media opportunity at Mount Smart Stadium on December 04, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

"If it works we get four, great. If it works out we get two, great.

"But I think now that we've planned for (five), we'd certainly be disappointed if we got none."

The Warriors are set to start their 2022 campaign against St George Illawarra on Saturday, March 12, with that match the first seven 'home' games in Queensland for Brown's squad.

1 COMMENT

  1. The rules seem to change every few weeks, but:

    “Warriors players returning home won’t be required to undergo hotel quarantine, with the government now permitting returning locals from Australia to self-isolate at home instead.”

    If I read that correctly, that means the Warriors players will have to stay at home for a week – no training! Is that right?

Comments are closed.